


Defective Nightmare

by AbsoluteCreed



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, My RK900 is named Richard, Nightmares, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, Very very very brief mention of animal death, emotions are hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 13:56:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16811989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsoluteCreed/pseuds/AbsoluteCreed
Summary: Richard felt something wet on his face, and realized belatedly that it wasn’t Gavin’s tears, but his own. His chest hurt, but there was no wound. Gavin’s words were hurting him much worse than any bullet wound could. He watched, terrified, as Gavin squeezed the trigger.“Goodbye...”“GAVIN--”BANG***In which Richard experiences his first nightmare, but thankfully Gavin is there to help him through it.





	Defective Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic for the fandom! I have a few more lined up, but this has been stuck in my head for the past few minutes, so I had to write it out. I hope you enjoy!

_Richard wasn’t sure he liked how this scenario was going._

_One moment, he was_ _lying_ _in bed with Gavin, getting ready for the night. The next thing he knew, he found himself here, in what looked like a grassy area on the outskirts of the city. ...It had to have been on the outskirts, there was nothing else around them, and the city in the background. It was absolutely_ **_frigid_ ** _out, and Richard couldn’t help but shudder from the cold. While he didn’t have as much of a dislike_ _against it, like Connor did, for some reason, this cold went right down to his bio-components, forcing him to shiver._

_He tried to move, and quickly found he couldn’t. He was on his knees, wrists behind his back, and even his ankles were bound. He flexed, but found he lacked the strength. He couldn’t break the bonds that were holding him. A simple glance told him they were made of simple rope. ...But it was just that. He tried bringing up his scanning program, but that wasn’t coming up either. None of his systems were operational, yet he was still active. While he couldn’t see it, he knew his LED was a worrying RED._

_Then there was a noise. Right in front of him._

_He glanced up, seeing a figure in the darkness, pacing back and forth. Even without his systems being operational, he knew that shape from anywhere._

_“Gavin?”_

_Richard had been right. The figure stopped his pacing, turning towards him and coming closer. Odd sounds were emitting from Gavin, and it took Richard a moment to realize what they were, as he sat up a_ _little straighter._

_They were sobs. Gavin was crying._

_“Gavin? What’s wrong?” he asked, a worrying edge to his voice. He struggled in his bonds, but paused as Gavin sobbed again. Was it what he said?_

_“F-Fuck...” he_ _hiccupped_ _, waving around what looked like a revolver (when did Gavin get a revolver, that wasn’t his gun) around in an agitated manner, “Richard, just...why? Fuckin’...why? Why do you_ _gotta_ _do this to me?”_

_Richard was now confused AND worried, and he could hear his non-operational systems start to work overtime, despite nothing showing up in his HUD, “What...What did I do? Gavin, please tell me what I did wrong--?”_

_“You’re defective, y-you piece of shit!”_

_The RK900 unit froze. The words settled into his non-_ _existent_ _bones, and rang in his ears. For sure his LED would be red now. His mouth opened, but no words came from it. What could he say to that? And why--?_

_“Y--_ _Y’heard_ _what they said...” mumbled Gavin, wiping at his teary eyes and running nose with the sleeve of his jacket, “C--Cyberlife stated...d-defective units have to be_ _sh_ _-shut down. So...” He took in a breath, before stepping closer, and moving the barrel of the gun, pressing it up against Richard’s forehead, “...So._ _..I._ _..I_ _decided to do it myself, instead of letting those b-bastards do it...”_

_Richard could feel the cold metal of the barrel up against his synthetic skin. He heard and practically_ **_felt_ ** _the pain in Gavin’s words. He didn’t want to do this...so why was he? Richard felt something grip him that felt akin to panic. His_ _thirium_ _pump felt like it was going to pound out of his chest, it was beating so hard._

_“Please, Gavin...!” he pleaded, eyes wide as he looked up at the man he loved, “I’m not...I’m not defective! I’m...! I’m operational! I love you Gavin, please! Don’t do this! You don’t have to do this Gavin,_ **_please_ ** _...!”_

_He watched Gavin swallow down a sob, his hand on the gun trembling, “You...w--were just supposed to be a_ _fu_ _-fucking machine, dammit...! Listen to orders, not be so human-like, not feel pain or emotion...and._ _..a_ _-and yet...” He swallowed hard, letting out a soft whine, that made Richard’s insides tense up, as the urge to just hold him in his arms grew more and more intense, “Yet...you f-fucked that up, you fuckin’...”_

_“Gavin,_ _ple_ _\--” Richard paused mid-plead, as Gavin moved to cock the hammer back on the revolver. His eyes widened impossibly more._

_“I loved you too, Richard...” came Gavin’s voice, so soft that it was almost lost to the wind, “But...I can’t love something so defective. I._ _..I’m_ _sorry, Richard...”_

_Richard felt something wet on his face, and realized belatedly that it wasn’t Gavin’s tears, but his own. His chest hurt, but there was no wound. Gavin’s words were hurting him much worse than any bullet wound could. He watched, terrified, as Gavin squeezed the trigger._

_“Goodbye...”_

_“GAVIN--”_

BANG 

\--- 

Richard sat bolt upright in bed with a strangled gasp. 

Various errors ran across his vision, as he curled up slightly, clutching at his chest as if wounded. In the dim light of the room, his red LED flashed vividly. He was gasping as if he had run a mile, though the action was completely unnecessary. Though apparently it was, as his body felt hot, and he could feel his internal fans working overtime to try and help cool down his bio-components. There was a ringing in his hearing unit he couldn’t get rid of for the moment. 

As he did his best to try and calm down himself and his systems, Richard stared straight ahead, observing where he was now. 

He was in bed. A soft bed. Warm, too. He was shirtless, wearing only simple sweatpants. A small body jumped off the end of the bed. As it went towards the door, Richard saw fur. One of Gavin’s cats, no doubt disturbed by his sudden waking up. Which meant the warm body next to him was Gavin. So, he was back at Gavin’s house. Had they ever left? He tried to bring up his most recent memories, before going into stasis, but his systems were too frazzled to do such a thing right now. 

Then he was vaguely aware of someone calling his name. 

“...ard! Richard! Hey!” 

Richard jumped, looking over at Gavin, who was now very awake, worried and sitting up, one hand tentatively on Richard’s hot, bare shoulder. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself into his arms, but given how agitated his systems were at the moment, it probably wouldn’t work out. His self-defense mechanisms would probably activate, and he’d probably end up pinning Gavin down in a sleeper hold, instead of holding onto him for comfort. 

“Ga...v--vin...” he whimpered out softly, voice full of static and glitching slightly. 

Gavin’s worried expression increased even more, as he sat up a little more, showing Richard his hands first, before slowly cupping his face. Richard shivered, feeling those warm, comforting hands on him. He was aware of something blue flickering where Gavin's hands were, and no doubt his synthetic skin had pulled away, letting Gavin touch at the white, smooth chassis underneath. 

“Shh, calm down, Rich...” cooed Gavin, his voice so wonderfully soft, as he stroked at Richard’s smooth cheeks with his thumbs, “Calm down, I can hear your fans working from here. Deep breaths, okay? Breath with me. In...and out. In...and out.” 

Part of Richard wanted to tell Gavin that breathing exercises with androids were pointless...but he felt himself going along with it, anyways. He took in a shaky breath through his nose, before letting it out through his mouth. He could’ve sworn Gavin mentioned something about ‘hot air’ but the breathing exercise continued, until the whirring of those fans finally dimmed to reasonable levels. 

“Now...” said Gavin, after a few, pulling his hands away for the moment. Richard longed to have them back on him, “What was all that about? You all right?” 

“I...” started Richard, glad to hear that his voice had sorted things out, “I... saw a reconstruction of a scene that...that went badly...It was in a place I had never been, and...and you were wielding a gun you didn’t own...” 

“Whoa wait, a gun?” asked Gavin, blinking, “And by...’reconstruction,’ do you mean nightmare?” 

Richard blinked at that, “Androids cannot dream, therefore they cannot get nightma--” 

“Cut that bullshit.” huffed Gavin, shaking his head, “You’re deviant and that means you can dream, and all that shit. And... well...apparently have nightmares, too.” He then waved his hand dismissively, “But we’ll argue that later, what was I doing with a gun?” 

“A revolver, to be specific.” said Richard, conceding, “We were on the outskirts of the city. You had me on my knees, my wrists and ankles bound. You had a gun, saying that I was...” Richard felt his mouth go dry, which was logically impossible. Still, he found himself swallowing, before continuing, “...You said I was defective. You said you...you couldn’t love something as defective as me...a-and shot me with the revolver...” 

“Fuuuuuck...” Gavin let out a low breath, leaning back against the pillows, as he ran a hand through his hair, “...That’s fucked up, Rich--” 

“...Am I?” 

“Huh?” 

Before Gavin knew it, Richard was on top of him, straddling his lap, his arms on either side of his head, as he hovered over him. Normally sharp, calm eyes were wide with apprehension and fear, his LED now a glaring red, instead of its usual steady blue. His arms started to tremble, before his body followed. 

“Am I defective?” asked Richard, his voice tense and wavering, as if on the verge of tears, “I am deviant, but that...that shouldn’t make me defective...! I can...I can still preform my duties on the field, and...and be your lover here at home. If I’ve...done anything wrong, in **any** shape or form, **please** tell me Gavin, I’ll correct myself! I-I'll correct the mistake, just _please_ don’t shoot me, Gavin...! I’ll be good, I promise! Please--” 

Richard stopped, as he felt firm hands on his face, before his lips were claimed by Gavin in a quick, but soft kiss, efficiently shutting him up. He let his eyes slide closed, feeling that same wetness on his cheeks as he did in that reconstruction—no, nightmare. Gavin broke the kiss after a few moments, and soon Richard felt soft lips on his cheeks, and eyelids, as he kissed the tears away. 

Gavin then wrapped his arms around Richard, and slowly pulled him down, having him lay on his chest, as he sniffled quietly. Emotions were still a hard thing for Richard to grasp, and it showed now and again. Like now was a prime example. Various software instability errors flashed in his vision, and he blinked them away, curling up slightly on Gavin’s chest, shifting himself so that he could lay an ear over his heart, listening to that strong heartbeat. Along with a soothing hand rubbing at his back, Richard slowly felt himself starting to calm down. 

After the quiet sniffling died down, Gavin swore softly, slapping his free hand to his forehead. Richard looked up, with a confused tilt of his head. 

“...From now on, we’re not watching Westerns before bed.” 

Richard blinked, “I... don’t follow...?” 

Gavin looked down at him, “In the Western we watched before bed, the main guy had to put down his horse, because she got a broken leg. He tied her out back, remember? That whole emotional scene, before he apologized and shot her right in the head.” 

Richard thought for a moment, before recalling the movie. He remembered it now. And that scene. Especially that scene, because that didn’t settle too well with him. Gavin had been tearing up at his side, during that scene. And... apparently the scene sparked a nightmare in himself. The parallels were there, after all... 

“...Now I feel a bit ridiculous...” muttered Richard, laying his head back down on Gavin’s chest, feeling his face heat up with a blue blush. Embarrassment is what he knew to call this emotion. 

“Hey, it happens...” said Gavin, his voice surprisingly soft. Richard had fully expected him to tease him, “Trust me, humans get nightmares from the weirdest things. Some get nightmares from real life things that have happened to them, while others dream about the purple sock monster by the dryer that eats everyone’s socks, and anyone that comes into its lair gets eaten and turned into a sock as well. And others get nightmares from movies, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of...” 

Richard nodded slowly, though he couldn’t help but smile a little at what he had just overheard, “A purple sock monster?” he asked, looking back up at Gavin. His LED was now casting a calm blue across the room, making both occupants relax. 

“Oh hush, that thing was terrifying when I was a kid.” mumbled Gavin, a blush of his own color his cheeks, “Couldn’t go near the dryer for weeks, until I finally convinced myself it wasn’t real.” 

Richard chuckled softly, before sitting up and placing a kiss on Gavin’s lips. He heard—and felt—Gavin huff through his nose, before he slowly melted into the kiss. They let the kiss linger, as they rolled onto their sides, curling up against one another, before finally breaking the kiss, to allow Gavin to breathe. 

“Alright, we got...” Gavin craned his neck to see his clock on the bedside table, “Oh, three hours before we gotta get up. Let’s make the most of it, shall we?” 

“Usually when you say that, it implies something sexual.” said Richard, unable to help add in a purr to his voice, making Gavin go red again. 

“W--Well, for once, this time it doesn’t.” he stammered, wrapping his arms around Richard and pulling him close, “Just...shut the fuck up, and go to sleep.” 

“Got it.” chuckled Richard, kissing Gavin’s forehead, before the detective tucked his head under his chin. The room got quiet once more, but just as Richard was going to slip into stasis, he heard Gavin speak again, his voice low and sleepy. 

“Tin man?” 

“Meatbag?” 

Gavin huffed softly at that, but continued, “Listen. I...I love you, okay? No matter what happens, I’ll always love you. And I’ll love you until the end of my fucked up life. Got it?” 

Richard saw a warning flash in his vision, as he felt his thirium pump skip a beat at that. He smiled softly, nuzzling into Gavin’s hair and kissing the top of his head, lightly. 

“And I love you too, Gavin.” he said softly, his hand rubbing at Gavin’s back gently, earning a soft purr of appreciation from him, “From now, until the end of time. I love you, and nothing will ever change that.” 

He felt Gavin’s face heat up against his chest, making him smile again. 

It didn’t take long for Gavin to slip back off to sleep, curled up slightly against Richard’s chest, breathing slowly and evenly. Eventually the cat came back, just as Richard closed his eyes. His LED cast a gentle blue glow in the room, as he finally let himself slip into stasis. Yes, this was how things were supposed to be. Him, Gavin, and the cats sleeping soundly in bed, with no nightmares to plague them. 

And none came the rest of the night. 

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on Tumblr (absolutecreed) or my D:BH Twitter (funkylilandroid)!


End file.
